861.002/11–749

Memorandum of Conversation, by the Secretary of State 1

confidential
Participants: Mr. Vyshinsky, Soviet Foreign Minister
Mr. Panyushkin, Soviet Ambassador
Mr. Troyanovski, Second Secretary, Soviet Delegation to UN
The Secretary
Mr. Kennan—C
Mr. Thompson—EUR

Mr. Vyshinsky opened the conversation by stating that when he met the President at the UN ceremonies in New York the President inquired [Page 772] about Marshal Stalin’s2 health and had asked him to convey his regards. Mr. Vyshinsky said he had conveyed this message and had been instructed to convey Premier Stalin’s greetings and best regards to the President.

I said I would be seeing the President within an hour and would promptly convey the message. I said I had seen the President earlier in the day and had told him I would have the pleasure of receiving Mr. Vyshinsky this afternoon and the President had asked me to convey his greetings to Mr. Vyshinsky.

Mr. Vyshinsky expressed appreciation and asked me to convey also his greetings to the President.

Mr. Vyshinsky said he had one specific item of business he wished to mention, namely, the Amtorg case and referred to the fact that after receiving our note3 the Soviet Embassy had advised Amtorg officials to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. Before this had been done and before the Soviet Government had replied to our note, the officials had been arrested. He understood Mr. Webb had been kind enough to interest himself in the case and had discussed the matter with the Department of Justice. Pie hoped, however, that I would also do what I could to end the prosecution in this case.

I replied I had been informed of the case and was happy to learn of the decision of Amtorg to comply with the requirement for registration. At my request Mr. Thompson outlined the present status of the case, pointing out that although registration would now comply with the law the fact remained that a violation had occurred and that the matter was in the hands of a court. Certain steps were necessary to clear up the case, and it was understood that Amtorg and the Department of Justice were now discussing this.

Mr. Vyshinsky said that in the Soviet Union their law provided for the possibility of the judge acting informally, and that the Government could inform him that in view of changed circumstances for example, it was no longer interested in having the case considered. He realized it was up to the Attorney General, but thought the State Department could be of assistance.

I explained that we had a somewhat similar procedure in which the defendant could go into court and say that he did not wish to argue merits of the case and that the court could then arrange to settle it.

Mr. Vyshinsky concluded by saying that it was important that the law triumph, but that there be no victims.

[Page 773]

In taking his leave Mr. Vyshinsky apologized for taking up my time saying that he knew that I was particularly pressed for time just now.

I countered I was always glad to see him and we exchanged some polite remarks about the advantages of contact between us.

  1. This memorandum of conversation was apparently drafted by Llewellyn E. Thompson. In separate memoranda of October 21, from Mr. Thompson and Lucius D. Battle, Foreign Affairs specialist on the Executive Secretariat of the Department of State, both recommended that Secretary of State Acheson, even if he expected to be away on leave, should see Audrey Yanuaryevich Vyshinsky, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union, who had requested an appointment to make a courtesy call on November 7. The Secretary agreed to drive in and receive Mr. Vyshinsky, and the appointment was set for November 7 at 3 p. m.

    The Embassy in Moscow was informed in telegram 826 on November 7, 6 p. m, that the call had been made, whereat “no matters of substance were discussed other than Vyshinsky’s reference” to the Amtorg case, which it was now believed “will be cleared up shortly.” (800.01B11 Registration/11–749)

  2. Iosif Vissarionovich Stalin, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union.
  3. See the note of September 9, 1949, p. 760.